“But I was never going to miss the game.”

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Even with a one-legged Reynolds, the Rabbitohs managed to overcome Manly to have their supercoach on the verge of a stunning eighth premiership.

After a tight early tussle, South Sydney put the foot to the floor against Manly to solidify the 36-16 win and earn the right to meet either Melbourne or Penrith at the same venue next Sunday.

Souths have timed their run to perfection.

Damien Cook and Cameron Murray were superb for Souths, as was Walker, who scored twice after effortlessly taking charge of the kicking for his halves partner.

Taaffe also handled the goal-kicking duties with ease to open up a 22-0 half-time lead to have the error-ridden Sea Eagles off the bit by the break.

Now the storylines can begin to unfold for the Rabbitohs.

Reynolds, who is bound for Brisbane, will play his final game for the club, while Bennett can become the first coach to win a premiership at three different clubs. Already, he is the first to take four separate clubs to a grand final.

And the Rabbitohs will be in pursuit of their 22nd premiership, having broken a long drought in 2014 with a famous victory at ANZ Stadium.

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In their way will either be Penrith, who Souths beat in week one of the finals, or the Storm, who remain heavy favourites to go back to back.

Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic scored late but had a difficult night.

The fullback was having a rare night where everything he touched wasn’t turning to gold. A try in the corner was blown as he dropped the ball before grounding. It was initially awarded a try but his furious reaction as he rose to his feet told the story.

A host of half-chances came to nothing as the Rabbitohs marched right past to the delight of large portions of the 26,000-strong crowd.

The first 10 minutes were laden with heavy contact from both sides as they tried to assert themselves physically. Slowly but surely, the Rabbitohs started to win the struggle and managed to maintain the effort for the remaining minutes.

Manly were quick to identify Walker as the man to target, given his added involvement as Reynolds took a back seat in the playmaking and kicking departments, but failed to keep him quiet.

Manly’s performance was also hindered by the early loss of prop Sean Keppie after a head knock. The night was summed up at the back end of the game for the Sea Eagles, with Josh Aloiai sent off for a sin bin in the final 10 minutes of the game.

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